Year: 2023

How to Retain Your Staff

“People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers.”

– Marcus Buckingham

As a tech executive, one of your main priorities should be to retain your staff. Remember how challenging it was to find the right people for your organization? You now have a team that’s working well together and delivering the quality you expect. However, you may not be communicating with them effectively. You might not be aware of the stress they are experiencing because you keep assigning them more work, assuming they are fine since there are no complaints.

Most employees won’t voice concerns about being overworked. They believe they’re performing well by maintaining the pace, hoping for acknowledgment. However, tech executives often interpret the absence of complaints as a sign that more work can be added. This can lead to a gradual exodus of staff, starting with one person and eventually snowballing. As the workload shifts to the remaining staff, pressure mounts, and more people leave, despite attempts to hire replacements who may not be as experienced or capable. The cycle perpetuates, worsening the situation.

This is indeed a regrettable scenario, yet it occurs frequently. It could have been mitigated if the tech executive had shown empathy for the pressure on the team. To show empathy, you must genuinely understand the strain you’re putting on your employees. There may also be personal or family issues affecting team members. To truly understand your organization, regular conversations with your staff are essential.

Here are some strategies to retain your staff:

  • As you onboard new employees, take the time to understand their aspirations. This means having meaningful conversations about their career goals and personal ambitions, allowing you to provide tailored growth opportunities within the company.

  • Align people with tasks they excel at and enjoy. Identify their strengths and interests, then match them with projects that will maximize their potential and keep them motivated.

  • When assigning less desirable tasks, be empathetic and express gratitude. Acknowledge the importance of their contribution to the team and make sure they feel appreciated for taking on necessary, albeit mundane, responsibilities.

  • Engage with your team frequently, not only in large meetings but also in one-on-one settings. It requires time but yields great benefits. These personal interactions help build trust, uncover concerns, and encourage open communication, providing a platform to address issues before they escalate.

  • Regularly reward your team. Recognition often makes people feel valued, even if it isn’t monetary. Consider verbal praise, written notes, or small tokens of appreciation to celebrate achievements and encourage ongoing dedication and hard work.

Having individual conversations with staff members is a crucial strategy for effective leadership.

These conversations not only allow employees to get to know you and your leadership style better but also build a foundation of trust and mutual respect. It’s important to avoid being intimidating during these interactions. Instead, strive to be approachable and open. Break down barriers by taking the time to learn about their families, hobbies, and personal interests. This personalized approach can make a significant difference. Adopting a more interactive communication style with your teams will demonstrate that you are a caring leader who values their input and is genuinely interested in their well-being and professional growth. This not only enhances team morale but also fosters a more cohesive and collaborative work environment.

In summary, retention is crucial for a successful and productive team. As a tech executive, it’s your responsibility to retain your staff by prioritize the well-being of your employees by showing empathy and engaging in regular conversations with them. By doing so, you can create a positive work culture that leads to better employee satisfaction, increased productivity, and ultimately, greater success for your organization.

So, take the time to connect with your team on a personal level, listen actively to their concerns, and show appreciation for their hard work. These small but meaningful actions can go a long way in retaining top talent and building a strong and resilient team.

Click here for a post on how to have difficult conversations.

What is a Tech Exec

We’ve explored the realm of being a tech exec, yet let’s delve into defining the position and its allure. While it may exude a sense of glamour, grasping the nuances of authority and duties is crucial as they differ depending on the organization, industry, and business model.

The titles are diverse: Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, Chief Architect, Chief Transformation Officer, Managing Director, SVP/ VP of Technology, and more. To understand the responsibilities of these roles, refer to the job description. Each company’s technology needs differ, so you won’t find a common JD.

CIO is the top tech exec of most organizations and reports to the CEO, CFO, COO, or Chief Transformation Officer. Reporting structure usually depends on company size and the presence of strict IT controls – where IT would report to the CFO.

Ideally, the CIO would have a strategic role reporting to or influencing policy makers within the organization.

In today’s technology-driven world, forward-thinking organizations seek CIOs with a broad technical background, capable of collaborating with and influencing the business. Most CIOs are not experts in a specific technology area but hire specialists. The ideal CIO is open-minded and skilled at identifying the right people and technologies for an organization’s business and tech strategy.

A CIO needs strong IT operations experience to effectively reduce costs, collaborate with business constituents, and implement strategic plans. Keeping ego in check is also crucial for leading the charge in championing the business.

As a modern leader, the CIO must excel in marketing IT achievements and demonstrating how it drives business goals.

Establishing a reputation for customer service excellence, success, and transformative change will position IT as a leader. Business teams are gaining control over solution enablement through platforms like low code no code. This allows them to build their own applications without the help of IT. However, this does not diminish the importance and value of IT in driving innovation and efficiency.

In today’s digital age, technology is the backbone of any successful business. As a CIO, it is crucial to understand that your role goes beyond just managing and maintaining the company’s technical infrastructure. In fact, one of the key responsibilities of a CIO is to effectively communicate how IT initiatives contribute to the overall success of the organization.

Marketing your IT achievements means showcasing how technology solutions have been implemented to drive business goals. This could include streamlining processes, improving customer service, or increasing productivity. By highlighting these accomplishments, you are not only demonstrating your department’s value but also positioning yourself as a strategic leader in the company.

Businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on technology for their operations and growth. This means that CIOs must stay ahead of the curve, constantly exploring new solutions and innovations to keep the company competitive.

But it’s not just about implementing new technology – it’s also about effectively managing existing systems and resources.

As a CIO, you must prioritize projects based on business needs and allocate resources accordingly. This requires strong communication skills to negotiate budgets and timelines with other departments.

Furthermore, as technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it is important for CIOs to stay updated on industry trends and advancements. This allows them to anticipate potential challenges and proactively find solutions before they arise.

In conclusion, being a successful CIO requires a combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills. By staying ahead of the curve and constantly exploring new solutions, you can ensure that your company remains competitive in today’s ever-changing market.

Click here for a post on the expectations of a CIO.

Working with Business Leaders

Technology executives and business analysts must prioritize closely working with business leaders and their teams. As the business team’s tech acumen has advanced, particularly with cloud technology, the tech team must continuously enhance their skills. Demonstrating the value of technology interactions to the business is essential.

For tech professionals, earning the trust and respect of business colleagues is crucial. Engage them early in the requirements process for any solution development. Avoid assuming you fully understand business needs when creating or implementing a tech solution.

Often, the technology team leads the process and involves the business later, leaving them feeling excluded and wondering, “Why weren’t we involved earlier?” Regardless of expertise, gaining consensus and buy-in is vital for designing solutions that truly meet business needs. Early inclusion of the business team ensures this buy-in.

In Agile design, “shifting left” means involving the business leaders earlier in the development process.

This collaborative approach is increasingly common and necessary. With the rise of no-code and low-code solutions, end-users may even develop their own applications. Keeping the business engaged and delivering value is critical.

There’s no room for ego. Business leaders encourage tech executives to step down from their ivory towers—sooner rather than later. Tech leaders must stay well-informed and understand the business’s daily operations, rather than relying solely on technical knowledge. This understanding builds trust and credibility with the business team.

Additionally, technology executives must continuously educate themselves about new technologies and their potential impact on the business. They should also have a solid understanding of the current technology landscape, including trends and emerging technologies. This knowledge allows them to make informed decisions that support the organization’s overall strategy and goals.

Collaboration between tech professionals and business leaders is not just limited to project development. It extends to ongoing maintenance and support of systems as well. Regular communication and collaboration ensure that any issues or updates are addressed promptly and effectively.

In addition, staying current on tech trends helps businesses outpace competitors and adapt swiftly to market changes. Tech pros and business leaders collaborating drive growth, efficiency, and success.

In conclusion, working with business leaders and collaboration between technology executives is essential in today’s fast-paced digital world. Through open communication, mutual respect, continuous learning, and a collaborative mindset, these two teams can work together towards achieving a common goal – leveraging technology to drive business success. Let’s continue to emphasize the importance of this collaboration and strive for a harmonious relationship between tech and business teams. So, we should always prioritize collaboration, communication, and continuous learning in order to succeed in this ever-changing technological landscape.

Click here to see a post on the future of collaboration technologies.

Technology Strategy Maintenance

In order for your technology strategy to survive over time, it’s important for a tech exec to put processes in place for technology strategy maintenance, such as regularly reviewing and updating the strategy as appropriate. This ensures that your company stays ahead of the curve and is able to adapt to changing market conditions.

One key aspect of a successful tech strategy is understanding the needs and goals of your customers.

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, customer demands and expectations are also evolving. It’s crucial for tech executives to stay in tune with these changes and adjust their strategy accordingly.

Another important factor is staying aware of emerging technologies and how they may impact your industry. Being proactive in identifying potential disruptions or opportunities can give your company a competitive edge. This requires constantly keeping up with industry trends, attending conferences and events, and networking with other tech leaders.

The following are examples of some good recurring activities for tech strategy maintenance:

A. Communicate the Plan – consistently.

Communication is one of the responsibilities of IT Strategy Governance. The governance structure will need to communicate both the planning (while developing the Strategy) and the plan (the final deliverables and the execution approach). 

B. Monitor Performance – regularly.

Goals and initiatives will have metrics to reflect progress towards the goals. This step will be another tool used by the governance structure to monitor performance against targets.  It will be depicted using dashboards and key performance indicators.

C. Review Strategy – regularly and incrementally.

On a predefined schedule, the whole strategy needs to be reviewed.  The governance structure will utilize this review for course correction.  There is also another important benefit of this review cycles: incremental development of the strategy. 

To uphold an effective and relevant technology strategy, tech executives need to prioritize staying informed and adaptable. By understanding the needs of customers and keeping a pulse on emerging technologies, companies can stay ahead of the curve and drive success in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.

Strategy Solution Roadmap

The final phase of our Technology Strategy build process entails crafting a well-defined roadmap that outlines the proposed solutions for supporting the organization’s business direction. This section is crucial for tech executives as it outlines how solutions will meet business needs, including timing and cost estimates. It’s a key tool for aligning tech initiatives with organizational goals.

9. Develop Roadmap – initiatives with priorities, estimates, ownership and schedules

To advance, identify specific, measurable actions to signal completion of the strategy building. The implementation plan will include strategic initiatives aligned with the organization’s goals. Analyzing the gap between current and future states guides the identification of these initiatives. Organizing them cohesively is crucial.

  1. Dependencies and priorities: initiatives are in priority order so that criticality can be easily identified. From a criticality perspective, this means the most important initiatives that will lead to the ultimate successful outcome as determined by the business.

  2. Budget estimates: including people, tools, and efforts. Creating a realistic budget is an essential step for any project. It involves estimating the costs associated with people, tools, and efforts required to complete the projects successfully.

  3. Assigned ownership to ensure accountability. In project management, assigning ownership is crucial. Each task must have a specific person or team responsible. Lack of clarity on ownership leads to confusion and reduced accountability in projects.

  4. Schedules of initiative durations, and when value can be realized. Once the strategy is in place, numerous projects and initiatives will run concurrently, each with their own deadlines. How can you anticipate when the value from these initiatives will materialize? Enter initiative duration schedules. These documents outline project timelines, key milestones, and deliverables, aiding in resource planning, management, and return on investment projections.

In conclusion, the roadmap provides a clear path to actualize the goals outlined in the mandate, strategic objectives, and target model. Each initiative aligns with a project, serving as the bridge between strategy management and program management. The Program Management Office, responsible for program management, meticulously outlines project plans for each initiative.

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